Absolute Virtue
Category:BestiaryCategory:Notorious MonstersCategory:High Notorious Monsterscategory:Aern Notes: :*Always spawns seconds after Jailer of Love is defeated, claimed and aggroed to the alliance which killed it. :*Despawns two hours after Jailer of Love is spawned. :*About 66,000 HP. :*Builds a strong (90%) resistance to Souleater after only several attacks. :*Normally very high Auto Regen, killing many of Jailer of Love's pets will reduce the regen by half, and using nukes corrosponding to the current day against AV will reduce the rest of it. It seems that nuking the wrong element may instantly return its regen to full strength . :*Will use Draw In if anyone attempts to drag it too far from its spawn area. It seems to be impossible now to pull it out of the alcove. :*Casts Aero V, Aeroga IV, Tornado II. Also has instant-cast Meteor and Comet when Manafont and/or Chainspell are active. :*Uses all two hour abilities multiple times. Two hour abilities are not in a set rotation and can be used randomly. :*Uses a polearm. ::*Attacks for 400-500 damage. ::*Medusa Javelin does about 2000 damage. ::*Auroral Wind does about 800 damage. :*Enhanced movement speed. ::*Resists Stun and Gravity, however it is susceptible to Shadowbind. :*Summons three Aern's Wynav to assist it. ::*The Wynavs cast Tier IV single-target nukes and Tier III -ga spells corresponding to the current Vana'diel day. ::*The Wynavs also use Mijin Gakure and can be resummoned after defeat via Call Wyvern. :*Can be very difficult to defeat due to its ability to use Benediction multiple times. See Also *See the Discussion page to discuss recent developments, rumors and possible strategies for defeating Absolute Virtue, including the video released by Square-Enix. *See Absolute Virtue/Developer Strategy for a transcription of the developer fight. Dialogue Dialogue when it appears Absolute Virtue: "At lassst the time has come... The ssscattered fragments of my thoughtsss once again mine. Long forgotten memoriesss filling me once more... However... these memories generate sssuffering... These thoughtsss... bring remorssse... Tell me... for what sssearcheth thou, to travel this far? Show me... by what principlesss art thou driven?" Dialogue when defeated Absolute Virtue: "By thy principlesss... I have been freed by the chainsss placed upon me from time immemorial. Thy path... extends to the far reaches of time and ssspace... But sssomeday... thou shalt reach... thy destin..." Notes The dialogue does say freed by the chains, not freed from the chains. Based on Absolute Virtue's manner of speaking, the voice heard at the "???"s for the 4 Al'Taieu Jailers is that of Absolute Virtue. This is apparent through the triple-s spoken when many words with the letter s are uttered as well as the use of "thou". Historical Background Absolute Virtue is a concept found in ancient Greek philosophy and Christianity. To the Greeks, it was a principle which exists beyond material forms, an Idea located in the world of Ideas (as envisioned by Plato). Absolute Virtue was constant across different types of people, but relative virtue, how that virtue is displayed in that social class or that gender varies depending on the status or gender of the person. Socrates said it was possible for humans to attain absolute virtue and thus understand Truth. To Medieval Christianity, Absolute Virtue was defined as God. God was absolute virtue. Accordingly, to the Greeks, Absolute Virtue would contain the virtues of Wisdom (Prudence), Courage (Fortitude), Temperance, and Justice. To the medieval Christians, Absolute Virtue would contain the four Greek cardinal virtues of Prudence, Fortitude, Temperance, and Justice, as well as the three theological virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity/Love. Ancient and medieval theologians called the four Greek virtues "natural" or "pagan" virtues because they reasoned that these four virtues were able to be known and practiced by all mankind simply by the light of God's general revelation. The three "theological" virtues, on the other hand, are so called because they can only be known and practiced by finding their proper object in the light of God's special revelation: i.e., the Gospel (cf. 1 Cor 13:13). Both the ancient Greeks and medieval Christians adhered to a concept called the "unity of the virtues." In Greek philosophy it can be found in Plato and Aristotle. It is the idea that the four virtues are harmonic, and that to perfect one virtue one must perfect them all. In medieval Christianity, this remains the case, but here the theological virtues perfect the natural virtues by supplying them with their proper object in the light of special revelation. In heaven, love is the only virtue, as perfect love contains all the virtues. This is probably the reason that Absolute Virtue spawns upon the death of the Jailer of Love. While the 7 Jailers drop weapons and torques bearing the name of their virtue, Absolute Virtue only drops items bearing the name of seven sins. This would lead to the implication that Absolute Virtue may not be as virtuous as its name implies. However, it may also drop these sins because upon defeating Absolute Virtue you theoretically destroy all the virtues, leaving the only thing left to gain to be sins. It is also possible that the sins are the "chains" placed on Absolute Virtue. Another theory may be that the sins are Absolute Virtue's thoughts ("ssscattered fragments of my thoughtsss once again mine"). Though this would seem contradictory based on what the principle of Absolute Virtue itself stands for, the dialogue states "...these memories generate sssuffering... These thoughtsss... bring remorssse..." indicating that Absolute Virtue's thoughts may have become corrupt and warped, like the landscape of Al'Taieu. When defeated, Absolute Virtue leaves behind seven sins, possibly its now tainted memories.